Alzheimer’s disease affects over 5 million patients in the United States and 30 million worldwide. Recent estimates suggest that Alzheimer’s is now the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind cardiovascular disease and cancer. Women are affected more than men, such that a woman’s chance of developing the disease is now greater than her chance of developing…

You may have heard, at one time or another, that aluminum exposure increases your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Until recently, this link has been swept under the rug, so to speak. There are no conclusive results when it comes to the role of aluminum on the disease, yet all the while, some researchers have continued to find harmful effects of…

You have likely heard of the many downfalls to drinking sugar-sweetened soda. It leads to weight gain, raises blood sugar, and negatively affects liver and brain function, to name just a few of the many reasons for avoiding it. A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health found, for the first time, that sugar-sweetened soda consumption is…

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most dreaded diseases of all. Many people would rather lose almost anything before losing their minds. The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are likely a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Researchers from Rutgers University recently found that elevated blood levels of DDE, the metabolite of the banned pesticide DDT, increased the risk of…

Daily supplementation with the probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis was found to improve immune health in elderly adults, according to a study by researchers from the University of Reading and published in the Journal of Nutritional Science. The daily probiotic was found to significantly increase white blood cell activity in the participants when compared to people who took placebo. Specifically, the phagocytic…

Elderly women with higher omega-3 levels were found to have larger brain volume when compared to women with lower omega-3 levels, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology. Researchers from the University of South Dakota tested the blood of over 1,000 women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. They analyzed the red blood cell omega-3…

The more we know about what goes into our food—and ultimately into our bodies—the easier it is to make smarter (and healthier) choices about what we put on our plates. So, when I heard the FDA announced plans recently to give the Nutrition Facts label a makeover to provide more clarity for consumers, I thought it was a definite step…

High blood sugar levels make beta amyloid protein—found in people with Alzheimer’s disease—more toxic to the cells that line blood vessels in the brain, according to a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. High blood sugar is receiving increased attention for its role in Alzheimer’s, so much so that Alzheimer’s disease is also known by some experts…

The advice to stay mentally and socially active as we age to help stave off dementia is now being challenged by experts who say that it’s not enough to do crosswords or stay social. In a study published in Psychological Science, adults who engaged in an activity that involved learning a new skill—digital photography, quilting, or both—for 15 hours a…

The link between high blood sugar and poor health go far beyond diabetes, a condition of epidemic proportions on its own. Not only does high blood sugar put you at risk for heart disease, but Alzheimer’s as well, a condition also known as type 3 diabetes. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine further solidifies the…